Ryanair said it would ‘face down’ the strike, though it admitted some ‘disruption may occur’.
Photograph: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images

Pilots working for Ryanair in Ireland have called a one-day strike next week, potentially disrupting flights for Europe’s biggest airline on its home territory.

Flights to and from Dublin, Shannon and Cork are likely to be affected by the walkout on Wednesday.

The action has been taken in a bid to win collective representation in pay dealsrather than through Ryanair’s own employee channels.

Ryanair said it would “face down” the strike, though it admitted some “disruption may occur”.

Up to 117 pilots in the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) union – part of Ireland’s second-biggest trade union, Impact – are expected to take action, which Ryanair said is less than a third of the pilots it employs in Ireland.

However, the union said that the 117 represent almost 90% of pilots directly employed by Ryanair, and the majority are captains, a rank needed on every flight. It said the walkout would either cause significant disruption or costs for Ryanair if it replaced them with captains from other European bases.

Crew and pilots in Italy are also planning action on Friday, while pilots in Portugal have also voted to strike. Ryanair has told cabin crew in Italy that action by any one member will see their entire base lose rights to transfers or promotions.

The airline said: “Ryanair will deal with any such disruptions if or when they arise, and we apologise sincerely to customers for any upset or worry this threatened action by less than 28% of our Dublin pilots may cause them over the coming days.”

Ryanair has told pilots who strike that they will be in breach of their agreements, conducted by the airline separately with each base, and lose benefits including guarantees over rosters and pay, and be denied promotion.

It said its pilots had been offered 20% pay deals, adding: “Like any group of workers, Ryanair’s very well paid pilots are free to join unions, but like every other multinational, Ryanair is also free – under both Irish and EU law – to decline to engage with unions.”

Impact said Ryanair was the only Irish-based airline that refused to recognise unions and the dispute was “solely about winning independent representation for pilots in the company”. It warned more strikes could follow.

Ashley Connolly, a union official, said: “Management’s failed negotiating model has let down shareholders and tens of thousands of passengers whose flights were cancelled this year because company-controlled industrial relations proved incapable of recruiting and retaining enough pilots.”